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CEO Personality and Firm Policies

Author

Listed:
  • Ian D. Gow
  • Steven N. Kaplan
  • David F. Larcker
  • Anastasia A. Zakolyukina

Abstract

Based on two samples of high quality personality data for chief executive officers (CEOs), we use linguistic features extracted from conferences calls and statistical learning techniques to develop a measure of CEO personality in terms of the Big Five traits: agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, and openness to experience. These personality measures have strong out-of-sample predictive performance and are stable over time. Our measures of the Big Five personality traits are associated with financing choices, investment choices and firm operating performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Ian D. Gow & Steven N. Kaplan & David F. Larcker & Anastasia A. Zakolyukina, 2016. "CEO Personality and Firm Policies," NBER Working Papers 22435, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:22435
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights
    • G3 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance

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